


Darkiplier - Intrusive Thoughts

by gottawriteanegoortwo



Series: Sanders Sides (No Ships) [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Youtube RPF, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Antihero Dark, Dark is Mark's Protector, Dark is having a bad time, Gen, Implied Violence, Intrusive Thoughts, Remus is having too much fun, suggestions of murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25787320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gottawriteanegoortwo/pseuds/gottawriteanegoortwo
Summary: An event that has Thomas Sanders and Mark Fischbach in the same room leads to an encounter that could be dangerous. As a reluctant guardian that is struggling to keep out of character, Dark finds himself facing someone who may be more of a threat than he initially thought.
Series: Sanders Sides (No Ships) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870696
Kudos: 24





	Darkiplier - Intrusive Thoughts

A big event was taking place in the city. Various do-gooders from across the country were invited for the weekend. Naturally, Mark was invited, but Dark was wary of it. After all, an event as large as that could draw the Actor like a moth to a flame, and then what?

“If you’re so worried, then come with me and Amy. You can hide in the shadows and make sure nothing happens.”

That was what Mark had told him, and that was why Dark was hiding in the other’s shadow. He hated resorting to this, but he had to be sure no one else got tangled up in this twisted ‘story’.

The formal night was a drain on Dark. Even if Mark and Amy were lucky enough to sit beside a bright young man called Thomas, it didn’t do much to distract him. Instead, the thoughts began to whisper again within ten minutes of the group sitting down to look at the menus.

> _You’re only doing this out of guilt._
> 
> _It would be so easy to just take Mark’s body now and get it over with._
> 
> _Come on, what are you waiting for! He’s right there! You don’t want the Actor to get him, so why not take what’s yours?_

“- but then Chica bounded over and -” Both Amy and Thomas threw Mark worried looks as a heavy shiver ran down his spine. He felt two taps on his right shoulder - Dark’s sign of briefly dismissing himself. Mark glanced behind him to see something ripple across the floor, but insisted to the others that he was fine.

* * *

In a small room just off the corridor to the function room, Dark stumbled against a table. The thoughts were getting louder and he needed to leave the main area before he submitted and acted on them. He knew he would, and that was the part that scared whatever scrap of humanity he had left. There was proof of him acting out, showing that he was truly the ‘villain’ in the story when he didn’t want to be. It wasn’t fair! He didn’t want these thoughts in his head, not when he was so stressed and frustrated that they actually sounded like good ideas. He had sworn to keep Mark out of trouble, and lashing out at an event like this would do the exact opposite of that.

“Well now, this is a surprise, Thomas. Didn’t think you were one to call for a dark side~ Weird set-up you got this time.” 

A voice pulled Dark back to the present, and he sharply turned his head to look at the intruder.

It was a man of average height and build. He was dressed in black royal garments, with a sash and details in lime-green. A morningstar was being dragged casually behind him as he examined the surroundings of the tiny room. His hair was haphazard, like he rolled out of bed, with some large silver streaks on the upturned fringe. His eyes were wide and sunken in, their erratic implication emphasised by how they darted around. He even had a brown moustache that wanted to curl at the tips. In a way, that reminded Dark of Wilford, which meant this could likely anger him further.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you have the wrong person.” Dark made sure to respond in a slow manner to hopefully disguise his current mood. “I would appreciate it if you left me alone.” At last, the wild prince twirled around on one foot to face him. He tilted his head to the right with a squint, then to the left with a scrunched-up expression; before finally straightening it with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re looking a little peculiar today, Thomas. Hallowe’en already?”

“I’m not Thomas.”

That immediate counter made the stranger squint again. At last, the pieces clicked into place as his face relaxed into a smile. He took a step forward. Dark took a step back. This was noted by the other.

“Well now, this is certainly a strange and exciting experience. I thought the only ones I could talk to were Thomas and the other Sides. But you… Well, you’re quite the handsome devil, aren’t you? You’re a lucky man. I’m rather attracted to men in suits. Makes them look even hotter than anything else… Aside from their birthday suit, of course!” The stranger twirled the morningstar like it was a baton as he giggled with a knowing smirk. “So, who are you and why did you call me up? I’m sure I can stick around for a little while~”

“I didn’t ‘call’ you.” Dark was starting to feel uncomfortable. Not only was this man acting in such a crude manner, those thoughts in his mind were moving to the forefront. Whoever this was, he wasn’t helping. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“Hey, I asked those questions first, cutie.” The stranger gave a childish pout, complete with hands on his hips. “Friends call me the Duke, but **_you_** can call me Remus. I’m afraid I don’t quite know why I’m here yet. I’ve never had the chance to meet such a dashing stranger that doesn’t have the same face as me.”

“Same face…” Dark repeated the words in a murmur, before realisation hit. “I didn’t know Thomas had Egos.”

“Oh, no no no. We’re ‘Sides’. If you were to take a giant hammer and smash his head open like a coconut all the Sides would come flying out like itty bitty jigsaw pieces! We make Thomas, well, Thomas!” The comparison wasn’t exactly a comforting thought to Dark, but Remus didn’t seem to notice. “So what can I call you? I’d be happy to call you ‘Sir’, or ‘Cutie with the Booty’, or even ‘Handsome Stranger I Would Fuc-”

“ _Dark._ You can call me Dark.” Cutting over the other only served to add to his sour mood. Somehow, this imbecile was worse than Wilford. “I am not in the mood for company right now, so I would like you to leave before you make me do something I may regret.” Remus blinked several times in response to this. His expression quickly shifted to curiosity as he approached with a tip-toe that was almost cartoonish. Once close enough - but not too close - the Side stared deep into the entity’s eyes in a way that was quite unnerving. Was the other trying to read his mind, or simply trying to test Dark’s patience?

Before Dark could question it, Remus spoke in an unnaturally calm tone.

“Your mind is clouded, isn’t it? I can see it from the way you shift your eyes. There’s something troubling that pretty head of yours. It’s so bad, you reached out silently for help, but you didn’t call the ‘light’ Sides. Why would you call me over them, since they’re the ones Thomas favours…?” With a slow blink, Remus let his free hand brush across his lips in thought. As a darker side, Remus was never given the opportunity to help examine and solve a problem Thomas had - at least, not since the days before he and Roman were ‘born’, but those days were far too fuzzy and distant. So what could be the issue?

Wait.

“You’ve had thoughts, haven’t you?” It was asked in a low purr as Remus moved a little closer. “Is that why you’re in this little room instead of out at the party? Your mind started wandering and reminded you of thoughts you’ve tried so very hard to ignore?” He paused, a grin spreading as he noticed the hint of surprise Dark tried to hide. “Ooh, I’m right. I love when that happens! Now, I wonder what such a handsome devil as yourself would be thinking about. This is so much harder when you aren’t Thomas.”

“Can you step back? You’re in my personal space.” The close proximity of the pair was not helping Dark at all, especially when Remus was correct.

“Shhh, let me have this moment.” Ignoring the other’s request, Remus lifted the morningstar and gently pressed it against Dark’s chest. It was used to gradually push the entity back until he was sitting in a chair. “Remember I said I was a piece of Thomas? I’m his creativity. I share the job with my twin brother. But I get to work with all the juicy stuff, and I think you’re keeping a part of yourself locked away. Why does everyone do that? It makes everything so boring!” There was another huff from the Duke as he carefully tapped Dark with his beloved weapon.

“So let’s see, what sort of thoughts would you be hiding away? I bet they’re really neat ones too. Like… Kidnapping one of your friends and toppling that bookcase on them. Or taking advantage of a quiet moment to steal the final breath out of a stranger.” Another pause. Remus noticed the way Dark’s eyes dropped. “You’ve done that. You’ve actually killed someone. Why aren’t I in your head? You’d actually listen to me~”

“I don’t **want** to listen to those thoughts! I don’t **want** to be the monster that everyone imagines me to be!” Before Remus could counter, Dark’s lights flared up. “And no, I am not that. I **never** was. I am someone who is being turned into something I never was because they decided it. What you’re trying to discover are things that have infected my mind and are trying to corrupt me.”

“Oh, don’t say that, you’ll hurt my feelings. My ideas are just as valid as anyone else’s!” Remus did indeed sound hurt at that, but Dark wasn’t in the mood to care.

“Your ideas are outlandish and ridiculous. They’re improper and purely impulsive. What I have to deal with is far more serious than anything you could consider. If I were to listen to what I’m hearing right now I would -”

 _“Use the decorative ribbon on the back of Thomas’ chair to strangle him.”_ Dark’s eyes widened as Remus joined in to finish the sentence in unison. “Oh, I know how all this works, cutie. While I won’t allow you to hurt Thomas, I can encourage you to embrace that side of yourself. It’s much more freeing being able to get those pent-up frustrations out in the open, you know. If you keep locking them away, you’re going to explode, and that won’t do anyone good at all.” He was about to continue, but he found himself stumbling back after a hefty shove. Dark rose to his feet with a snarl.

“I refuse. I play the role of a villain but that is not what I am. I have dealt with these thoughts for years, I think I can manage just fine.”

“By what? Pushing them deep deep down and forgetting they exist? Don’t fool yourself! Corruption can be fought off with enough struggle and good will. You’re fighting a losing battle if you’ve acted on them before. Just try it! Let me show you how rewarding it can be!” Remus’ weapon was raised in self-defense, but he knew he was in control of the situation. There wasn’t anyone here to try and talk boring logic into the setting, and Dark had already taken the ideas and performed them. That was more than Thomas! With this knowledge in mind, he swung the morningstar at Dark.

His plan worked as the entity immediately countered by grabbing his wrist and pulling the weapon out of his hands. Instead of hitting him, Dark acted as predicted and aimed his aggression at the bookshelf with an angry cry. One book was lifted and thrown at Remus, hitting the Side square in the forehead. The injury would quickly disappear on someone who didn’t actually exist, so it was ignored in favour of watching Dark’s lights sharply blink around him as a shelf was entirely reduced to scrap wood.

> _That’s it! Let it out! Show them what you’re capable of!_
> 
> _Breaking things into tiny pieces is so satisfying, isn’t it?_
> 
> _Now, wood is fine. Imagine how much better a skull could feel cracking under the pressure. The sound would be music in the air and paint the floor and the walls so nicely. It would be -_

“Dark!” A voice snapped Dark to the present. The morningstar was gone, but the bookshelf was virtually destroyed. He wheeled around to the source of the voice.

Mark had entered the room, while Amy and Thomas peered in through the doorway in fright. Remus wasn’t there. Had he ever been there?

“Dark… What’s going on? Are you okay? Shit… What happened?” Mark quickly examined the room, noting the broken bookshelf and books scattered across the room. He’d need to pay for a replacement, but he had to help Dark first. Dark was hunched over slightly, breathing heavy as he looked at Mark with vacant eyes. He was completely out of it, lost in whatever was going on in his mind. Mark knew the other had talked about struggling to not ‘play the villain’, but never did he think he’d see it. It was almost like Dark was a stranger, struggling to hold himself back.

“Dark, it’s me, Mark. Look, you’re okay, it’s just me.” Gingerly, a hand was extended as he spoke. When nothing happened, he took a slow breath and began to cautiously approach. With every step, he was ready to quickly retreat should the touch-aversive entity feel threatened by another presence. Yet, through some miracle, he managed to lightly place his hand on Dark’s shoulder.

Dark blinked once, twice, three times before some sort of life returned to his eyes. Registering Mark before him, Dark took in the sight of the wrecked shelf with alarm.

“Mark, I swear I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay. No one was hurt. What happened? I heard your shouting over the music.” That caught Dark by surprise. They had only just decided which options on the menu they wanted when he left. How could he have been gone for that long? He dropped his head in guilt, ashamed to have to confess.

“I was trying to… Ignore thoughts in my head. Someone arrived and starting goading me into it. Next thing I know, you’re standing here and he’s gone.”

“He? Who’s ‘he’?” Mark looked decisively worried. Very few knew Dark actually existed as more than a fictional character. When there was no response at first, Mark repeated the question. At last, he got an answer.

“He said his name was Remus, or the ‘Duke’.”

“W-what?” Now it was Thomas’ turn to be thrown into a state of shock. Everyone turned to look at him with confusion. “He… I don’t know how that would work since… Remus doesn’t actually exist. He’s a character from a series I do called ‘Sanders Sides’. I have a bunch of characters that are personifications of different parts of an alternate me, and they address various mental health issues or topics that might be difficult for younger viewers to understand alone. But he… Doesn’t exist.”

The room fell silent. Dark knew what he saw, what he had experienced. Remus was physically there. He had pushed the Duke away, and snatched his morningstar. 

“Unless… Dark was a fictional character too, or so I thought. What if that connection meant that he broke that fourth wall to briefly exist in our reality?” Mark knew it sounded absurd, but it wasn’t as though anyone else had any bright ideas.

“If he knows what is best, he won’t return.” Dark growled, hands clasped tight behind his back. He needed to work harder to prevent himself from slipping into character. More effort would be needed to trap those thoughts in the far depths of his mind. They had vanished now, and that was that.

But is assuming an intrusive thought is gone really a wise decision?

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on [gottawriteanegoortwo](https://gottawriteanegoortwo.tumblr.com/post/186849413022/dark-intrusive-thoughts) and backdated to match that.


End file.
